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Mars Attacks

Mars Attacks – Recaptured!

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mars-attacks-recaptured-cdPart Records PART-CD 696.001 [2011]
Man From Mars – Snatch It ‘N’ Grab It – All Nite Boogie – I’m Gonna Buy Me A Ticket – Doggin’ My Steps – Please Can You Say – Pepperhot Baby – The Way I Bop – That’s The Way I Feel – Four Tired Car – Lies – Why, Jimmy Bill – You’ll Never Break Me – Honey – Dirty Tricks – I Guess It’s Meant That Way – Rocket In My Sky – Shotgun Wedding – A Gal Of My Kind – Ninety Nine Ways – You Talk Too Much – Sputnik (The Satellite Girl) – Tattoo Bop – Mars Attacks – High School Ceasar – Leavin’ It All Behind
Mars Attacks are one of the best ambassadors of Rockabilly music in Europe. For this album they have re-recorded some of their favourite songs (including the covers!) from their earliest releases. Though surprising at first, it turns out to be a good idea, most of their old material being is only available on vinyl or out-of-print. So why not reissuing it with today’s sound? The result is 26 killer tracks. It’s no use to write a song-by-song review, you just have to know that these guys are top musicians.
If you already know Mars Attacks, you know what I mean, if you don’t, this is the perfect album to begin witht.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mars Attacks – Follow Me

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Blue Lake Records  [2008]
Mars Attacks returns with a brand new album featuring 14 tracks to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It comes in a nicely designed digipack (as usual with Blue Lake Records) with a booklet containing the lyrics and a poster.
As you can guess it’s full of very good rockabilly. The set opens with two hot numbers, reminding the style of Rip Carson on My Simple Life. After another good rockabilly with a title reminding the late Ronnie Dawson (Awful Bad At Being Good) the band switches to Sonny Burgess mode with trumpet. They should do more like that. «Next Time» is a country bopper with fine finger pickin’ and brushed snare. They do justice to Billy Lee Riley’s Got the Water Boiling (wild vocal here!) and mellow with «Not Only In Dreams» under the double influence of Roy Orbison / Elvis Presley. It wouldn’t be out of place on a Paul Ansell’s Number Nine album. It’s time to get wild again with the Johnny Burnette influenced (think Train kept A Rollin) «You Only Like The Fast Songs» that features great lyrics like «Speed It Up, don’t Get Too Slow / We don’t wanna sound like Mr Mannilow». «Full Moon Rock» adds a touch of blues to the set followed by a ballad with a country edge and a heavy rocker with loud guitar and drums. Nice! The instrumental «Jazz Attacks» (with quotes from Chinatown My Chinatown / Take 5 / Big Noise From Winnetka) closes the set. Though it’s not bad, I don’t find it essential and ending the album with «Nice Mr Heavyweight» would have been more efficient.
Warmly recommended!

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Mars Attacks – Circle of Love

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marsattacks Blue Lake Records BLR-CD 07
I’m Gonna Get Ya – Rome Wasn’t Build In A Day – In My Dreams – I Care – Lush – Leavin’ It All Behind – If I Could Be True – Misunderstood – Nothing To Write Home About – Rebound – She’s Gone – King Of Fools – I Just Feel So Sad. Circle Of Love – I’m Gonna Get Ya – Rome Wasn’t Build In A Day – In My Dreams – I Care – Lush – Leavin’ It All Behind – If I Could Be True – Misunderstood – Nothing To Write Home About – Rebound – She’s Gone – King Of Fools – I Just Feel So Sad.
Circle of Love is a kind of thematic-concept album made of love (as the title suggests) songs (10 originals and 4 covers). The lyrics are exploring every steps of a relationship from the desire (I’m Gonna Get Ya) to the rupture (I Just Feel So Sad) via the happiness (In My Dreams) and every feelings in between. In term of authentic recording JCR recording service is one of the 2 best place in Europe (with Berlin Lightning Recording Service). Combine a good studio, the knowledge to use it and most of all a killer band with good songs of their own and the result is explosive. Mostly a pure rockabilly album (“She’s Gone” one of the best here had a hell of rhythm section on it) you find some “traditional” rock’n’roll too like “Rome Wasn’t Build In A Day”, “Misunderstood” in a very Presley-esque style, a bit of country ala Johnny Cash (the cover of “King Of Fool”) and “Leavin’ It All Behind” shows the influence of Sonny Burgess with its trumpet part played by singer Roland Riedberger. Charlie Rich’s “Rebound” is just perfect. As an extra bonus you have a short movie of Mars Attacks in the studio or to be honest a movie of the band drinkin’ in the studio .
Fred “Virgil” Turgis